Chapter Sixty-Four: Trapped in the Snare, A Desperate Counterattack

The footsteps stopped at the mouth of the cave. I held my breath, feeling as though the very air had frozen.

The light at the entrance was blocked by a dark figure, and a sinister voice came from outside: "I know you are inside. Come out obediently and meet your doom!"

Hah, expecting us to surrender without a fight?

Not a chance!

As a seasoned time-traveler who had been through countless battles, I had seen plenty of such minor spectacles!

I exchanged a glance with Yunsheng and Scholar Li, and the three of us quietly crept deeper into the cave, finding a concealed corner to hide in.

The person at the entrance seemed to have lost patience and walked straight in.

By the dim light filtering through the entrance, I saw that the intruder was dressed entirely in black, with a face covered by a mask and a gleaming blade in hand.

This was the absolute standard attire for a villain!

It seemed a fierce battle was unavoidable today.

The man in black looked around, failing to spot us.

"Hmph, playing ghosts!" He let out a cold snort and began searching the cave.

I secretly observed his movements, calculating a countermeasure in my mind.

It appeared this fellow had been prepared all along, knowing we had fled into the cave.

Wait, why were there traps in this cave?!

I looked down, and lo and behold, an animal trap had suddenly appeared right beneath my feet!

With quick eyes and nimble hands, I leaped to the side, narrowly escaping that disaster.

"Ah!" Yunsheng let out a cry of surprise. It turned out he had also stepped into a trap; a sharp wooden spike shot up from the ground, grazing his arm, and fresh blood instantly stained his clothes red.

"Yunsheng!" My heart ached as I rushed to his side, quickly using a torn piece of my sleeve to bandage his wound.

"Sister Wan'er, I'm fine..." Yunsheng's face was pale, yet he gritted his teeth against the pain to comfort me.

Hearing the commotion, the man in black immediately charged toward us.

I pushed Yunsheng aside, drew the dagger hidden in my boot, and met the attacker head-on.

Flashes of blades and glints of swords filled the air as the man in black and I engaged in a fierce struggle within the narrow confines of the cave.

Every strike from the man in black was vicious, clearly intended to put us to death.

Although I was no match for him, I had to fight back with every ounce of my strength to protect Yunsheng.

Right at that moment, Scholar Li suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

Before I could even react, I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet, and my whole body plummeted downward...

"Sister Wan'er!" Yunsheng's anxious voice came from above.

I crashed heavily to the ground, feeling as though every bone in my body was about to fall apart.

Struggling to my feet, I discovered I had fallen into a deep pit, surrounded by pitch-black darkness where I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face.

The bottom of the pit was damp and cold, and the air was thick with a foul, rotting stench.

I groped along the wall, searching for a way out.

Suddenly, my hand brushed against something ice-cold, startling me into quickly drawing back.

"What is this..." I said in a trembling voice.

Cautiously, I touched the ice-cold object once more, finding it to be like a stone carved with some strange patterns.

Wait, these patterns...

Why did they look so familiar?

A realization suddenly struck me: wasn't this the "Seven-Star Interlocking Formation" I had read about in an ancient text?!

Rumor had it that this formation was unpredictable and immensely powerful; once trapped inside, it was exceedingly difficult to escape.

No wonder every step we took had been fraught with danger!

Damn it, what on earth was the background of this mysterious person, that he even knew how to use such a long-lost formation?

However, Heaven never cuts off all avenues of escape. Since I now knew this was the "Seven-Star Interlocking Formation," there had to be a way to break it!

Struggling to recall the methods of breaking the formation recorded in the ancient text, I observed the surrounding environment.

Although the bottom of the pit was dark, I could faintly sense currents of air moving about. This must be the key to the formation!

I took a deep breath and, following the records in the ancient book, began searching for the nodes of the formation.

Found it!

A surge of joy welled up in my heart, and I quickly beckoned Yunsheng and Scholar Li over.

"Yunsheng, do you see that protruding stone? Use your sword to smash it!" I pointed in a certain direction.

"Sister Wan'er, are you sure? What if we get it wrong?" Yunsheng asked with a hint of worry.

"Trust me, I'm not wrong!" I said with a firm tone.

Without further hesitation, Yunsheng swung his sword and struck the stone.

With a crisp "crack," the stone shattered to pieces in response, and the surrounding air seemed to shift accordingly.

Immediately afterward, a series of screams drifted down from above.

It seemed our counterattack had worked!

"Well done!" I shouted excitedly. "While we have the chance, let's keep looking for the next node!"

Working with one heart and mind, the three of us followed my instructions and destroyed several nodes of the formation in succession.

As the nodes were shattered, the power of the traps gradually weakened, and the mysterious person's attacks grew increasingly flustered.

"Who is it?! How dare you ruin my plans!" An angry voice echoed from above.

It appeared the leader of the mysterious faction could finally no longer sit still.

I let out a cold laugh. "You playing-ghost fellow, if you have the guts, come down and fight us face-to-face!"

"Hmph, overestimating your capabilities!"

Just as the words fell, a dark figure descended from the sky, landing right in front of us.

By the dim light, I saw that the newcomer was tall, wearing a ghostly mask on his face, and wielding a long sword that radiated a chilling glare.

I tightened my grip on the dagger in my hand, preparing to meet the fierce battle head-on...

"Wait..."

Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted out from the darkness...